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The Palestinian Authority's long-time chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, has made a career of sticking to his movement's hard-line demands, and of publicly rejecting all Israeli claims, be they legal, historical or religious.

And US President Donald Trump's had enough of him.

An op-ed penned by Trump's Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt, and appearing in the Sunday issue of the daily newspaper Ha'aretz called for Erekat's immediate ouster.

"We have heard your voice for decades and it has not achieved anything close to Palestinian aspirations or anything close to a comprehensive peace agreement," wrote Greenblatt. "Other Palestinian perspectives might help us finally achieve a comprehensive peace agreement where Palestinian and Israeli lives can be better."

While Erekat has long been critical of America's role in the peace process, his rhetoric has escalated significantly since Trump took office.

In his own Ha'aretz op-ed published last week, Erekat accused Trump of working hand-in-hand with Israel to oppress the Palestinians. The article was titled "Partners in occupation: Trump provides the anti-Palestinian incitement, Israel the bullets".

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